Seniors lag on medical-record plan

Test program in Arizona that stores patient's health history on Internet off to slow start

by Ken Alltucker - Jul. 31, 2009 12:00 AMThe Arizona Republic

Arizona senior citizens have been slow to enroll in a federal program that encourages them to store their medical histories on Google or other commercial Web sites.

Officials from Medicare and participating software vendors acknowledge that a small percentage of Arizona seniors have signed up for the $2.5 million health-records program launched in January, raising questions about whether the one-year experiment should continue next year.

"We'd like to see more involvement," said David Sayen, regional administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the federal agency that oversees the government insurance programs for seniors, the poor and disabled.

Medicare and Arizona Health-e Connection, a non-profit group that promotes the use of electronic health records, held a series of public meetings in Arizona this week seeking to drum up interest in the computerized health-records program.

Sayen declined to say how many of the more than 800,000 Medicare recipients in Arizona have signed up for the program, beyond saying that it is less than the estimated 3 percent to 6 percent of consumers nationwide who use some type of digital health record.

The federal agency must decide over the coming months whether to extend the program another year. Even if it nixes the program, those who already joined will have access to their computerized health records.

Officials believe such records will become more popular with seniors once they learn more and become comfortable with the concept.

"People are curious, but they still may be cautious," said Dr. Holly Miller, chief medical officer of MedAllies, a company that assists physicians with digital health-records technology.

The test program in Arizona and Utah encourages seniors to store their medical histories on the Internet via software programs offered by four vendors: GoogleHealth, HealthTrio, NoMoreClipboard.com and PassportMD.

The vendors offer a free basic health-records program via the Internet, but may charge consumers for more comprehensive programs. Each vendor offers its own privacy standards for consumers' medical information.

Medicare provides two years' worth of claims data that show a patient's recent medical history, records such as doctor's visits, medications, treatments and allergies.

Advocates say patients can maintain these digital health records, share the information with physicians and potentially avoid medical mistakes such as adverse drug interactions. The records also can remind patients about drug allergies and track past treatments and tests.

One factor that may be slowing the switch to computerized health records: few doctors use them, mainly due to expense.

A New England Journal of Medicine study in 2008 found that just 4 percent of U.S. doctors have a comprehensive digital records system and 13 percent have a basic system.

Doctors in Western states, including Arizona, are more likely to have electronic medical records, one reason the federal program is being tested here.

Officials are hopeful that this week's community meetings in Arizona will generate interest.

Scottsdale residents Virg and Cathi Nugent said they were excited to learn more about computerized health records during the public meeting on Thursday at the Scottsdale Civic Center Library.

Cathi Nugent said she is switching doctors and believes it will be easier to download and track her Medicare claims online.

"We're going to get on the computer and check it out," Virg Nugent said.

Jeff Donnell, chief marketing officer of NoMoreClipboard.com, said the public meetings allowed him to hear feedback from consumers.

Medicare-claims data can be confusing for some consumers, particularly those who are not familiar with medical terms, Donnell said, adding his company works to make sure claims information is easy to understand.

"We are learning a tremendous amount," said Donnell, who estimates his company has signed up about 300 consumers. "There are some changes and improvements we need to make."